MAM
Xrbia’s teaser campaign sells destination
MUMBAI: Real estate company XRBIA Developers has launched the teaser campaign for its upcoming project by the same name.
The campaign has been conceptualised by creative agency Ideas@work and the objective of the campaign is to promote ‘XRBIA as a country.’ The strategic marketing consultancy on the campaign was GroupM’s agency mConsult.
As part of the concept to further this objective, the teaser campaign is made to look like a tourism advertising/promotion, inviting people to explore a new destination. To make it seem authentic and pique the audience’s curiosity, the campaign also uses the line ‘Visa on Arrival’ as a finishing touch.
The idea draws inspiration from the etymology of the word Xrbia. The name of the project is derived from the word ‘exurb’ which denotes a location on the outskirts of a city. In keeping with the name’s origin, Xrbia Developers plans to focus the current and future projects at locales on the outskirts of the bustling cities.
The campaign consists of a 360 degree campaign to reach the target audience and create maximum retention of the brand name and associations. For this purpose, the agency created content across TV, print, radio and digital medium in order to promote the brand and position XRBIA as an idyllic country.
As part of the print leg of the campaign, the brand issued ads in publications like The Economic Times, Mumbai Mirror, Pune Times and Gujarat Samachar. On the online front, Xrbia featured on travel portals like Make my trip and Yatra apart from the usual mass reach portals like Yahoo, Google, YouTube and Facebook.
The TVC was created to highlight a new place where people can lead a peaceful, laughter filled and stress free life and have a community of their own wherein they welcome their guests with warmth and affection.
In case of radio, the campaign took the interactive route and held contests running for three days on different aspects of the Xrbian Life like food, music, nightlife etc. where people participated to win vouchers if they could guess correctly amongst the options given.
The campaign received an encouraging response with 27,000 Facebook likes and enquires about the project. “Many of the Interactions were about people asking where the new country was, some asking if it was a rebranding campaign by Serbia, some even applying for a job in the country. The high amount of interaction with the page content just helped reinforce the success of the campaign,” said an official statement.
AD Agencies
Havas hits 2025 targets, posts 3.1 per cent organic growth
Net revenue rises to €2.78 bn as AI push and acquisitions lift performance
PUTEAUX, FRANCE: Havas delivered a solid set of full-year results for 2025, beating its own guidance as steady organic growth, tighter cost control and an aggressive push into artificial intelligence lifted margins and cash flow.
The advertising and communications group reported organic net revenue growth of 3.1 per cent for the year, slightly ahead of its guided range of 2.5 to 3.0 per cent. Net revenue rose to €2.78 billion, while adjusted Ebit climbed to €358 million, translating into a margin of 12.9 per cent, up 50 basis points from last year.
Net income increased 11.1 per cent to €210 million, with group share of net income rising 9.2 per cent to €189 million. Operating cash flow after working capital jumped 53 per cent to €360 million, reflecting improved collections and disciplined spending.
The fourth quarter capped the year on a strong note, with organic growth of 3.7 per cent, driven by momentum across Europe and North America. For the full year, North America led with organic growth of 4.9 per cent, while Europe posted 2.0 per cent growth. Latin America returned to growth, and APAC and Africa were supported by India.
Chairman and CEO Yannick Bolloré, said 2025 marked a “transformative year” for Havas, its first full year as a listed company. He credited the rollout of the group’s Converged.AI operating system and a client-centric model for delivering on guidance in a highly competitive market.
Havas continued its acquisition spree, buying majority stakes in 11 agencies during the year across Europe, Australia and New Zealand, strengthening its media, creative, health and data capabilities. The group also struck strategic partnerships with AI players Vurvey Labs and Akkio to deepen its agentic AI capabilities.
Looking ahead, Havas guided for organic growth of 2.0 to 3.0 per cent in 2026 and an adjusted Ebit margin of between 13.2 and 13.5 per cent. The group plans to maintain a dividend payout ratio of around 40 per cent and pursue five to ten bolt-on acquisitions during the year.
Havas also confirmed its medium-term ambition of lifting margins to between 14 and 15 per cent by 2028, underlining confidence in its AI-led strategy and diversified geographic footprint.
